OPERATION: DOLLS
by RhymingWithOrange
Summary: OPERATION: D.O.L.L.S - Defeat Operative's Livid Little Sister
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note** : Cool, my first fanfic! So we'll get the copyright stuff outta the way first: I do not own KND, it belongs to Mr. Warburton blah blah blah! Just a quick warning: if living doll type of stories make you uncomfortable, I don't think you're going to like this very much. I really hope I conveyed what I've had in my head into the story properly so that it makes sense to you all. And on that note, enjoy OPERATION: D.O.L.L.S!

OPERATION: D.O.L.L.S

In the TV Room of Sector V's treehouse, Numbuhs 2, 4, and 5 were all enjoying some relaxation time. Numbuh 5 sat in her cushy chair reading a magazine, while Numbuhs 2 and 4 were on the couch playing a video game. Numbuh 1, meanwhile, was across the hall in the Mission Prep Room, checking in vain for any missions, completely bored out of his mind. All in all, a typical Saturday morning.

The villainous adults and teens that the Kids Next Door were used to fighting on a daily basis had been pretty lax this week. It seemed that everyone, even evil-doers, were taking to the warm, peaceful weather that had finally pushed the cold winter to some other part of the world. And while the rest of Sector V didn't mind, using the free time to go to the beach or laze around the treehouse, Numbuh 1 was ready for action.

After Numbuh 1 made his fiftieth loud and frustrated "Ugh!" Numbuh 5 finally snapped.

"Boy, will you keep it down in there!" she yelled. "You sound like you're hackin' up a hairball!"

Numbuh 4 snickered. "There're some bald jokes in there somewhere! And if I wasn't too busy kicking Numbuh 2's butt right now I'd make 'em!"

Numbuh 2 smirked. "Unlike _you_ , my one track-minded friend, I'm _never_ too distracted to crack jokes! Here's one for ya: ha- Hey, that's cheating!"

While Numbuh 2 whined over Numbuh 4's sudden lead in the game, Numbuh 4 cackled, and Numbuh 5 breathed a sigh of relief that she wouldn't have to suffer through Numbuh 2's awful jokes, Numbuh 1 walked into the room glaring at his teammates.

"In case you haven't noticed, there hasn't been a mission _for days!_ This can only mean that the adults are planning something big, and _I_ plan on being the first to know about it when it happens!" Numbuh 1 looked around the room and noticed that one of his teammates wasn't even present. "And _where_ is Numbuh 3?!"

Numbuh 5 rolled her eyes. "Will you calm down? The adults _could_ just be relaxin' like everybody else this week. Maybe _you_ should try it! And Numbuh 3 left _last night_ , Captain Observant! While you were busy mopin' over the mission-less database, her mama called and told her to come home. Something about needing her to watch her little sister or… something."

Numbuh 2 shuddered. "Ugh, getting stuck watching _Mushi_? That's a fate I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy!"

Numbuh 5 eyed her watch. "Although," she said. "You think she'd be back by now?"

Numbuh 4 shrugged. "Eh, she's probably on her w–."

Before he could even finish his sentence, however, a giant metallic claw burst through the wall of the treehouse. Sector V sprang to the opposite side of the room, looking for any potential weapons, readying themselves for whatever was outside the treehouse.

The metal claw ripped the wall away to reveal a giant robot piloted by none other than Sector V's archenemies, the Delightful Children From Down the Lane, who looked _mad._

"See? Told you somebody was planning something!" Numbuh 1 gloated with a smirk.

But before his teammates even had time to roll their eyes, they scattered about, barely avoiding the robot's hand crushing them.

" _Give them back!"_ the Delightful Children demanded as menacingly as they could in their monotonic voices. Their robot violently thrashed about the treehouse, desperately trying to either crush or grab any operative they spotted.

The operatives managed to each get their hands on a weapon, and regrouped in the middle of the room. However, this only made it easy for the metal hand to grab the four of them before Numbuh 1 could give them orders and brought them to the eye level of the Delightful Children.

 _"_ _We know you took them! Give them back NOW!"_

Sector V, not knowing what the heck they were even talking about, ignored them and tried to squirm themselves free in the robot's grip.

 _"_ _Give! Them! BACK!"_

"What are you brats goin' on about?!" Numbuh 5 barked.

 _"_ _Father's new schematics for a Delightfulization Chamber! We know you took them, now give them back to us before he discovers they're missing and we_ **all** _get in big trouble!"_

"We didn't take 'em!" Numbuh 4 yelled. "We haven't gone anywhere near your stupid mansion since the last time we trashed the place!"

 _"_ _LIAR!_ " the Delightful Children yelled. _"We know you have them! And we have_ **this** _to prove it, found at the scene of the crime!"_

The short, blond Delightful Dork held up a small cellophane bag. In it was a long strand of black hair.

Numbuh 5 scoffed. "What? You think Numbuh 5 did this? She hasn't left the treehouse all morning!"

 _"_ _That may be,"_ the Delightful Children retorted. _"But what about the other dark-haired operative who is_ **conveniently** _missing at the moment?!"_

Numbuh 2 managed to get his arm free. "Let me see that!" he said as he snatched the bag away. He examined the "evidence" inside. " _Pfffft!_ This could be anybody's!"

"Here's some advice, Delightful Dorks!" Numbuh 1 sneered. "How about instead of blaming us based on paper-thin evidence, you worry about Father finding out his schematics went missing on _your_ watch!"

The Delightful Children thought it over. Indeed, avoiding the wrath of Father was worth letting Sector V go… for the moment, anyway.

 _"_ _You win this time, Kids Next Door,"_ they said in their dull monotone voice. _"But we'll be back for the schematics – and the little brat who stole them – later!"_

The robotic hand dropped Sector V in the middle of their damaged treehouse, causing them to wince in pain. And just like that, the Delightful Children left as quickly as they came.

"Well, that was random." Numbuh 5 commented, rubbing her sore back.

Numbuh 1 started analyzing what repairs would need to be made to the treehouse before Numbuh 2 interrupted his thoughts.

"Hey Numbuh 1?" he said hesitantly, inspecting the evidence more closely.

"Yes, Numbuh 2?"

"We haven't seen Numbuh 3 since last night. And, yeah this hair could belong to anyone… _Including_ her. What if she _did_ have a part in all this?"

There was a moment of silence.

"You don't really think Numbuh 3 stole those blueprints, do ya?" Numbuh 4 finally asked unconvinced. "What would she want with 'em?"

"And why would she do it without us?" Numbuh 5 wondered.

"I…I don't know! You don't think Numbuh 3 went on a rouge mission, do you Numbuh 1?" Numbuh 2 asked their leader.

Numbuh 1 pondered this. Numbuh 3 was as loyal a Kids Next Door operative as any other, and a lot sweeter too. Definitely not the kind to just leap into an extremely dangerous mission alone and without orders. Still, she _was_ rather fiery and unpredictable, and definitely not the brightest of kids. And every once in a while she reminded both teammates and enemies alike that she was _not_ a girl to be reckoned with.

But that doesn't make her guilty, right?

"I don't know." Numbuh 1 finally answered. "But we're going to find out."

 **Author's Note** : TA DA! First chapter done! Whoo! I'll try to upload frequently, and if people are digging this I'll upload more often! Comments are totally welcomed; obviously, since this is just the first chapter, there's not a whole lot to say. But if the story has peaked your interest, please let me know and I'll get the next chapter up soon! Or just say hi, I enjoy friendliness! Have a beautiful day!


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note** : Hey everybody, as promised, here's Chapter 2! Thank you so much to my first commenter, you're so nice! So as you know, I do not own Codename:Kids Next Door, and this is all completely fanmade. And without further ado, please enjoy Chapter 2 of OPERATION: D.O.L.L.S!

"Are you sure, Numbuh 362?"

"For the last time Numbuh 1, I never gave orders _to anyone_ to infiltrate Father's mansion and steal his new Delightfulization Chamber plans. In fact, I'm a little surprised to find out they're missing in the first place. If I'd known they were that easy to swipe, I'd have sent somebody to take them and destroy them eons ago!"

Numbuh 1 sighed. He had set up a communicator conference with the Kids Next Door Soopreme Leader (after a hasty patch-up of the treehouse's damaged wall) in the hopes that maybe she could provide an explanation for this puzzling situation. No such luck.

"All I can say is that we need to uncover the identity of the thief and _fast_." Numbuh 362 said. "If those schematics are in the wrong hands, this could easily become our worst nightmare."

She was right, of course. Delightfulization was no laughing matter for any KND operative. While the very first Delightfulization Chamber –the one that made the Delightful Children what they were today- proved too unstable to be properly replicated, Father continued to create more models and plans that, while not as effective as the original, were still quite dangerous to kids everywhere. And who knew how potent this new one would be?

"Are you _sure_ that Numbuh 3 is behind this?"

"Well, no." Numbuh 1 answered a bit sheepishly. "But we're getting to the bottom of it right now. Numbuhs 4 and 5 have been sent to Numbuh 3's house to look for her and Numbuh 2 is scanning the hair that the Delightful Children found for any matches in the Kids Next Door."

He gestured behind him to show Numbuh 2 sitting at his large database, completely absorbed in his task.

Numbuh 362 nodded approvingly. She knew Sector V could handle this, though she wished she could have been more helpful. "Alright, I'll leave you all to it. Keep me updated. Numbuh 362 out."

Once the Soopreme Leader hung up, Numbuh 1 decided to contact Numbuh 5 next. "Numbuh 5, this is Numbuh 1 checking in."

"Hey, Numbuh 1. We just finished talkin' to Mrs. Sanban."

"And?"

Numbuh 5 sounded nervous. "She... didn't need Numbuh 3 to babysit last night... she never called… never told her to come home. Then she started gettin' all worried and you can imagine the excuses Numbuh 5 had to make to get outta that situation! And Numbuh 4 tried reachin' her communicator a billion times now. Nothing."

Numbuh 1 sighed. "Alright. Let me know if you reach her."

"You know," Numbuh 5 said in a hushed voice, probably so that Numbuh 4 couldn't hear her. "I didn't blame Mrs. Sanban for getting worried. I'm starting to get pretty worried too. I- I got a bad feeling about all this. Like Numbuh 3 is involved in this mess… I just don't know _how._ "

Numbuh 1 nodded understandingly, even though she couldn't see it. "I do too. Don't worry. We'll get this straightened out."

"Hey Numbuh 1, you better come look at this." Numbuh 2 called from across the room.

Numbuh 1 switched off his communicator and joined Numbuh 2 at the database. "What's up?"

"So," Numbuh 2 stated. "I scanned the hair and tried to match it to the DNA of anyone in the Kids Next Door Code Module. No matches."

"Alright."

"Then I tried matching it to every villain who has been held in the Kids Next Door Arctic and Moon Base prisons. No dice."

"So are you saying the results are inconclusive?"

"Well… Not exactly." Numbuh 2 responded. "Ya see, I was still suspicious about the hair being Numbuh 3's. It just matched so well. So I went into her room and snagged a hair from her hairbrush-"

"Okay, _that's_ not creepy!"

Numbuh 2 was unamused. "Do you want results or not?"

"Oh alright, alright. Go on."

"So as I was saying," Numbuh 2 continued. "I scanned Numbuh 3's hair and compared it to the one the Delightful Children found. Take a look." He pointed at the screen.

"So…?"

"Yeah."

"You don't think…?"

"Oh, I do."

Numbuh 1 grabbed his communicator. "Numbuh 4! Numbuh 5! Report back to the treehouse immediately! We've got a lead!"

Author's Note: Dun dun duuuuuun! The plot thickens... even though it's pretty obvious where this is going. Master of Subtlety, that's what I am! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, which I just realized is pretty short. So Chapter 3 will be up quite soon. Have a lovely day!


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note** : Hey everybody! Bet you're all just dying for that mind-boggling twist in the mystery ***wink***! The reveal is so predictable (and so soon in the story) that I didn't even bother putting this under the "Mystery" category. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle I am not, sadly... But anyway, as you know, this is just a fan work and I do not own Codename: Kids Next Door, blah blah blah! Enjoy chapter 3 of OPERATION: D.O.L.L.S!

It didn't take too long for Numbuhs 4 and 5 to rejoin their teammates. They burst through the door eagerly, before finally pausing to catch their breaths.

"So…what…did…you…find?" Numbuh 4 panted.

"Numbuh 2, if you would explain please." Numbuh 1 ordered.

Numbuh 2 nodded and gestured to the large computer screen behind him. "Right. So this is the data results from the strand of hair that was found in Father's mansion..."

"Uh huh." Numbuh 5 replied as she and Numbuh 4 joined their teammates at the data base.

"It didn't match with any known Kids Next Door operative DNA, including Numbuh 3's. But the similarities were still too strong to ignore, so I figured maybe it was computer error."

"Right."

"So, look what happens when I compare this hair with that of Numbuh 3's." He displayed the the new set of data on the giant monitor and allowed his other teammates to compare.

Numbuh 4, who was _never_ one to have a good grasp on science, just squinted at the screen confused. "Okay, so?"

" _So,_ look how similar they are. Not an exact match, but close. Very close."

Numbuh 4 was still confused. "Meaning…?"

"Meaning that hair probably belongs to somebody closely related to Numbuh 3," Numbuh 5 caught on. "Somebody like-."

"A _sister_ , perhaps?" Numbuh 1 finished.

There was a moment of silence in the room while Numbuhs 1 and 2 allowed their teammates to let this new information sink in.

Finally, Numbuh 4 scoffed. "No way! How could a _kindergartener_ be capable of-?"

 _"_ _Don't_ underestimate her, Numbuh 4!" Numbuh 2 snapped, startling his friend. "That girl is a psycho! _A psycho!"_

The group gave another pause to give the theory some more thought.

All of Sector V knew that a rift had grown between Numbuh 3 and her sister Mushi when Numbuh 2 revealed that Mushi had "killed" one of Numbuh 3's favorite Rainbow Monkey dolls in an act of jealousy. And although Mushi's grudge was mostly against Numbuh 2 –as she went to _extreme_ lengths to get revenge on him for getting her grounded– there was definitely some unresolved tension between the Sanban sisters.

Whenever her friends visited her at her house, they noticed Numbuh 3 would avoid Mushi whenever and however she could. Most of the time, Mushi would retaliate by just giving them all dirty looks. But other times Mushi would actually hang on to Numbuh 3, asking her big sister to stay home and play with her. Numbuh 3, however, always came up with an excuse to leave.

"She's not sorry, she never even tried to apologize! She only wants me around when she's bored!" Numbuh 3 would say when she was ever asked about her sister, and then she would change the topic to something else. She didn't act like it, but her friends knew that the situation with her sister made Numbuh 3 upset and that, deep down, she really missed her little sister. Well, at least the old, sweet, not-crazy little sister.

So, considering Mushi's unpredictable brand of crazy and bad relationship with Numbuh 3, maybe the pint-sized psycho _was_ capable of taking the Delightfulization schematics. But why?

"Okay," Numbuh 4 finally said. "What if she did take Father's blueprints? You think she actually plans on _using_ them? For what? To Delightfulize Numbuh 3?" The thought was disturbing, but hard for him to believe. Sure, Mushi was crazy and jealous of her big sister, but she never expressed any desire to _harm_ her before.

But Numbuh 2 nodded confidently. "There's not a doubt in my mind." After all, the little brat was capable of building a machine that could bring Numbuh 3's Rainbow Monkey _back_ _from the dead_ to seek vengeance on Numbuh 2! Surely building a Delightful-ization Machine would be easy for her twisted little brain.

"Well great," Numbuh 5 stated. "We've got a possible suspect! But that doesn't point as to where we can _find_ her or Numbuh 3!"

Numbuh 2 glared at her. "I was getting to that." He turned back to the database and, after some various clicking and typing, a map of their town flashed on the screen titled **Sector V Emergency Tracking System**.

Numbuh 1 raised an eyebrow. "What is this?"

Numbuh 2 smiled proudly. " _This_ , my friends, is how we're gonna find Numbuh 3! All I have to do is activate her tracking chip. And when we find Numbuh 3, I'm almost positive we'll find Mushi and those missing blueprints!"

With the hit of a button, Numbuh 2 activated said tracking chip and sat back in his chair, proudly folding his hands behind his head. He waited for his friends' impressed reactions….

….He didn't get them.

" _What_ tracking chip?" Numbuh 4 asked suspiciously.

"You _chipped_ Numbuh 3?" Numbuh 5 interrogated.

"Did you chip _all of us?!"_ Numbuh 1 demanded.

Numbuh 2 bit his tongue. _Uh-oh. They weren't supposed to know about the chips..._ He looked around to see that he was surrounded by his glaring teammates, all of them waiting for an explanation.

He laughed nervously. "Uhh, well, funny story. Heh-heh. Ya see, I – Oh hey look, the system found her!"

Everybody turned their attention back to the screen, where a green dot that they assumed represented Numbuh 3 blinked before an outline of a large building.

Numbuh 2 squinted at the image and its coordinates. "That looks like the old abandoned doll factory just outside of town." He and Numbuh 4 shuddered.

"Well then," Numbuh 1 said. "Let's not waste any more time. Kids Next Door: Battle Stations!"

 **Author's Note** : In the words of Shyamalan: "Whet a tweest!" Yeah, so all of this build up to the reveal was probably not necessary, but I like it this way. The other reason I don't want this story under the "Mystery" category is because the mystery is not the focus of the story; it's going to be on the relationship between Numbuh 3 and Mushi, which didn't get any attention in the show after Mushi went nuts. Anyway, thanks so much for reading! Keep those reviews coming, I love getting feedback from readers! Chapter 4 will be up soon so keep a look out... that's when things start gettin' sooper serial! Have a lovely day!


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note** : Hey there, everybody! I don't wanna take up so much time, so: I don't own Codename: Kids Next Door, this is simply a fanmade work, yadda yadda yadda! Enjoy!

The Miss Moppet Doll Emporium had been abandoned for as long as Sector V could remember. The years of weather and neglect had put the outside of the brick and concrete factory into an irredeemable state of disrepair. The giant, weathered porcelain doll head that was mounted on the front of the building –that was apparently _never_ particularly pleasing to the eye, even when it was brand new– scared away any delinquents with thoughts of vandalism in mind.

The KND S.C.A.M.P.E.R landed in front of the old factory, but the operatives inside were a little hesitant to exit. They had seen the factory from a far before, but none of them had ever dared to go near it. In fact, _no kid_ ever dared to go near the factory, even at the risk of being called a chicken for life. And the four operatives could see why. All of them seemed to be thinking the same thing: _This place was eleventy billion times creepier up close!_

Numbuh 1 tried to suppress a shudder. "A-alright team, let's move out."

Sector V exited the airship and moved toward the factory's entrance, trying not to look at the decaying porcelain doll head. To their surprise, there were no locks or security measures protecting the door.

 _Then again, who would wanna break into this place?_

Numbuh 1 pushed open the rusted door and slowly entered the factory, with his teammates following closely behind. Each operative carried a 2x4 weapon, with a flashlight attached to each.

The four kids shined their lights around the darkened factory, hoping to spot any sign of Numbuh 3. Most of the factory's machinery had been cleared out, but hundreds, maybe even thousands of leftover dolls and cardboard boxes still filled the space. Instead of coming across Numbuh 3's familiar pretty face, Sector V was met by the cold, lifeless, and rather unsettling faces of porcelain dolls.

Numbuh 4 took a deep breath. Investigating a normal doll factory would have been bad enough, but investigating an abandoned porcelain doll factory was just about the worst mission he could imagine. Sure, he was disgusted by the stuffed dolls and plushies that Numbuh 3 adored, but he could tolerate them for her sake. But porcelain dolls creeped him out to the absolute fullest, with their disturbingly realistic features- especially the eyes that seemed to follow him everywhere. As he looked at these dolls, he silently vowed to never insult Numbuh 3's stuffed animals again.

The rumors and urban legends that surrounded the factory didn't help calm his nerves either: rumor had it that the factory closed down after it was discovered that the factory's foreman kidnapped children and turned them into perfect life-like porcelain dolls in order to make higher profits.

In short, this mission was one of Numbuh 4's worst nightmares. He took another deep breath. _Easy, Numbuh 4,_ he told himself. _You're doing this for Kuki…_

Numbuh 2 wasn't fairing much better. He knew the dolls around him weren't real, but he still felt as if he was being watched. "Well, it doesn't look like anyone's here. Maybe Numbuh 3 went back home, why don't we go check there again?" He pointed to the exit, his hand shaking nervously.

Numbuh 5 was quick to elbow him. "We're not goin' anywhere until we find a sign that Numbuh 3's been here!" Just then, Numbuh 5 heard a noise behind her. It sounded as if somebody was flipping a switch. She shined her light around her. "Numbuh 3? You in here?"

Suddenly, a single light turned on in the middle of the room, grabbing the group's attention. Underneath the dim yellow glare was a little table. Surrounding the table were five little stools; three of them were taken by dusty porcelain dolls, one was empty, and the last one was taken by a little girl setting the table with a little china play set.

"Mushi?"

Numbuh 3's sister looked up as Sector V stepped into the light and put on a sugary smile. "Hey you guys!" she exclaimed, a hint of annoyance underlying her perky, happy-go-lucky tone. "Sorry to tell you, but this tea party is invitation only."

The boys were about to raise their weapons, but Numbuh 5 stepped forward. She figured that the last thing they needed was to set the little temperamental kindergartener off. "Mushi?" she asked politely. "Where's your sister?"

Mushi gasped in false surprise. "You mean _you_ don't know? She spends all her time with _you guys!_ And you just _lose_ _her_? You must not be very good at your jobs."

The boys scowled. Numbuh 5 ignored the jab, but she was starting to get annoyed. "Mushi, did you take some blueprints from the Delightful Children's mansion?"

Mushi flashed another sugary smile. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Numbuh 2 then stepped forward. "Oh yeah, then what's _that?!_ " he demanded as he pointed to the large, rolled-up piece of blue paper that was poorly hidden under Mushi's stool.

Mushi quickly snatched the paper up and hid it behind her back. "Nothing." she said innocently.

Numbuh 4 had had enough. He pointed his S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R right at Mushi, wiping the "innocent" smile off her face. "Quit lyin'!" he demanded. "What did you do with Numbuh 3?! Don't think I won't try to fight you just 'cause you're a little girl!"

Mushi stared stunned at the weapon, and for a moment Sector V thought that she would start cooperating. But instead, she started laughing. She didn't laugh like her sister; Numbuh 3' laugh was cheerful and usually contagious. Mushi's laugh sounded sinister, causing a chill to run up the group's spines.

"Oh, I know you would, Wally." Mushi responded, tauntingly. "You're always just so eager to be my sister's knight in shining armor, aren't you?"

Numbuh 4's scowl deepened, but a faint blush crossed his face.

Mushi noticed this and smirked. "Thought so." she said. She took a few steps back, and looked at the operatives in front of her with disgust. "But to be fair," she continued. " _All four of you_ are always just so eager to take my sister away from me, aren't you?!"

 _This is going nowhere!_ Numbuh 1 thought, irritated. It was his turn to step forward. "Mushi," he said sternly. " _Where_ is Numbuh 3?"

Mushi smiled deviously. "Alright, fine. I'll show you!"

The little girl ran out of the light and into the darkness that surrounded them. Sector V flashed their lights in the direction that she ran in, trying not to lose sight of her. They heard her feet pattering against the concrete floor, but had lost her.

Suddenly, all of the lights of the factory turned on. Some of them fused out immediately, others flickered, and the rest only offered a dim view of the factory. However, there was enough light for Sector V to see Mushi standing in front of a large machine.

Numbuh 1 gasped. It didn't look quite the same as the machines Father and the Delightful Children had tried using on him and his team before, but he still knew what is was: a Delightfulization Chamber.

This chamber looked more peculiar than the others that Sector V had been exposed to. The original chamber was more of a cylinder in shape, sleek, narrow, and had a small door to lead victims in and out. This chamber was a little wider, with a rectangular shape. A majority of the front was made of tinted glass. It kind of reminded them of… like a….

…Kind of like those boxes that dolls come in; cardboard with cellophane across the front, so you could see the doll inside.

And, upon squinting at the tinted glass of the machine, Sector V could _definitely_ make out the silhouette of a young girl inside.

They gasped in horror.

"Mushi…w-… _why?!"_ Numbuh 1 stammered. "Why would you delightfulize your own sister?!"

"Because she's jealous!" Numbuh 2 answered, as if he had it all figured out. "She's always been jealous of her sister's toys! Now she's jealous of her freedom! Since Mushi is grounded like a prisoner in her own house, she wants Numbuh 3 to be a prisoner in her own body! As a Delightful Child!"

The accusation caused Mushi to burst out laughing. "Oh Hoagie," she said, her voiced full of contempt. "You think you're such a clever detective, don't you? You may have cracked a few of my cases before, but now you couldn't be further from the truth!"

"What are you talkin' about?!" Numbuh 4 demanded.

Mushi just smiled deviously as she held up a small remote control. She pulled the tinted glass door to the machine open and flipped a switch on her remote. "Kuki!" she called cheerfully. "Time to play!"

The silhouette stepped out of the machine in jerky, awkward steps. Sector V watched in horror as Numbuh 3 came into view. She didn't look like any of the Delightful Children… She looked _worse._

Her skin was smooth and shiny and free of any blemishes, as if it were made of enamel. Her long dark hair was even shinier than usual, as if it were artificial. Her posture was so erect that it couldn't possibly have been comfortable. She wore a frilly white and green dress that looked stiff and itchy and too tight for her body. Her eyes were too bright and glassy and, despite the poor lighting, her pupils remained freakishly small, showing an unnatural amount of her violet irises. But the worst part was her smile. Numbuh 3 always had a big, perpetual smile on her face, but _this_ smile was just not normal. Even for _her_. This smile stretched so wide across her face that it looked painful to even look at.

Mushi didn't turn Numbuh 3 into a Delightful Child… she turned her into a _doll._

Sector V stood in utter disbelief, while Mushi squealed with delight. "Isn't she pretty?" she cheered as she threw her arms around her doll-like sister.

"M-Mushi," Numbuh 5 stammered. "What…have…you… _done?!_ "

Mushi let go of Numbuh 3 and turned her attention back to Sector V. "Isn't it obvious?" she said, with the smile of a child proudly showing off her new toy. Sector V just continued to stare at the Sanban sisters, stupefied.

"Well then, I'll tell you." she said. "All I wanted was to spend time with my sister. But when that proved too difficult, I knew I needed some… _'help'_. I tried building my own transformation thing-a-majig, but it was harder than I thought. Luckily, there was somebody in town who already knew how to build one!

So I snuck out early yesterday morning when I knew everybody would still be asleep, and hightailed it all the way to Father's mansion. Breaking in and retrieving the blueprints was surprisingly easy. Ya know, they really should up the security there!

But anyway, I grabbed the blueprints and made it home before anybody even woke up. Later, while everybody thought I was at school, I was actually here building my machine. All it needed was some re-tweaking and then _ta-da!_ That Delightfulizapper Chamber Thingy became a Doll-ification Chamber! Now Kuki and I can always play together!"

"But _why_?" Numbuh 2 questioned. "I thought you hated your sister?"

Mushi looked startled, almost insulted, by the question. "Hated? I never _hated_ my sister!" she explained. "Sure, I was a little jealous that mommy and daddy would let her play with all the cool new toys first. And sure, I would get a little upset when she wouldn't share them. And _boy_ was I mad about getting _grounded for life_!" She glared at Numbuh 2 for a moment.

"But when you're stuck inside your room day in and day out – well, when you're not sneaking out to see your boyfriend – you start to miss the little things. Like playing dolls with my big sister when she comes home from school, or having her help me with my homework…" Mushi started becoming more agitated. "…or being welcomed to sleep in her room during thunderstorms, or _her_ _helping me untangle my pigtails before bedtime!_ "

She paused for a moment and took a deep breath to calm herself. "So I made a few mistakes! Big deal! I've made plenty of other mistakes that she's gotten over! But now… all she does is avoid me! Whenever I wanna play it's always "Maybe later, Mushi"! But _later_ never comes!"

Numbuh 5 stepped forward. "Did you ever try _apologizing_ to your sister?"

Mushi looked at the older kids, stunned. The brief look of embarrassment on her face confirmed that she hadn't. But Mushi quickly shook it off. "That doesn't matter!" she yelled, getting agitated again. "Sisters are supposed to forgive and forget no matter what! And sometimes, it looks like she's about to do just that! Just when I think she's about to _finally_ pay me some attention, _what happens_?!"

Sector V just looked at her wearily, waiting for her to continue. She scowled at them. "She gets a call from _you!_ The four of you swoop in, with your big, exciting missions and cool treehouse to play in, and you take her away from me _again_! All she does now is spend her time with _you!"_

"That's not her fault!" Numbuh 4 stated. "She'd rather hang out with us because you're a spoiled little nutcase!"

Mushi stuck her tongue out at him. "Says you!" She looked at her doll-ified sister with adoration and gave her another a big hug. "But now that Kuki's a doll, we can be best friends, just like before!"

Mushi then stepped behind Numbuh 3 and asked, "Right, sis?"

The older kids suddenly heard a strange clicking sound. With every click, Numbuh 3's body slightly jerked forward and her eyes flashed with pain.

It took them a minute to realize what was going on; there was a key in Numbuh 3's back that Mushi was winding in order for her to talk. The four operatives suddenly felt nauseas.

When she was done turning the key, Mushi stepped aside and waited for her sister to answer. A winding sound filled the room as Numbuh 3's mouth opened to speak.

 _"Guys…help…me!"_

Her friends gasped in horror. Mushi scowled at her, enraged.

"No, no, no, _NO!"_ That is _not_ what you're supposed to say!" she yelled, stomping her foot on the ground.

She marched behind her sister, muttering under her breath about some 'bugs' that needed to be fixed, and the room was filled with the agonizing clicking sound again. When she was done she stomped back to her place at her sister's side. "Do it again and this time do it _right!"_

The winding sound began again and Numbuh 3 said, _"I…love…you…Mushi!"_

Mushi smiled. "There, see? All better!" She threw her arms around her sister again and squeezed hard. She started laughing again, only this time it sounded rather sad and desperate. "Forgive and forget! That's what sisters do, right Kuki?"

But the winding had stopped, and Numbuh 3 stayed silent.

It became apparent to Numbuh 5 that they were dealing with more than just an evil little brat; Mushi was an incredibly delusional little girl and was in need of some serious help.

But helping Numbuh 3 was their first priority. If they could just get her away from Mushi…

"Mushi," Numbuh 5 said softly, trying not to set the little ticking time bomb of a girl off. "We know you just want your sister's forgiveness. But this is _not_ the way to get it. Please, just give her to us and we can help both of you." She tried stepping toward the sisters, but Mushi snapped.

" _No!_ Don't come any closer!" she screamed, clinging close to Numbuh 3. "You just want to take her away from me again! Just leave us alone! We're happy!"

"We don't want to fight you, Mushi." Numbuh 1 warned. "But we're not going to leave without Numbuh 3."

"And if we have to fight you to get her back, we will!" Numbuh 4 added.

Mushi's face slipped into a devious smirk again as she pulled out her remote control. "Oh, _I_ don't plan on fighting you guys." She said as she hit a button. "I've got my big sister here to do that for me. Get 'em, Kuki!"

 **Author's Note** : Yeah... So... This got a bit darker, huh? When I was writing the rough draft to this chapter, there were actually some details that I decided to scrap because I felt that they made the story too dark. Anyway, thank you so much for reading! I appreciate feedback, so let me know what you think of think of the story! Chapter 5 should be up within the next few days! Have a lovely day!


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note** : Hey there everybody! I didn't want to keep you all waiting long for Chapter 5, so here it is! Once again, I do not own Codename: Kids Next Door, this is a fan-made work (anyone getting sick of hearing this yet?). Enjoy!

With the push of a button, Numbuh 3 sprang toward her friends. She moved quickly, despite the awkward movements of her doll-ified limbs. Sector V was still in shock and could do nothing but watch as their friend charged over to them.

Numbuh 3 reached the group and kicked the closest operative to her, who happened to be Numbuh 5, and sent her flying into a mountain of boxes and dolls and dust.

"Numbuh 5! Are you okay?!" Numbuh 1 called.

"I – _cough –!_ I'm – _cough, cough–!"_ she sputtered, too preoccupied with trying to keep the dust out of her lungs.

The boys readied their weapons. "KIDS NEXT DOOR," Numbuh 1 shouted. "BATTLE STA- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Numbuh 1 hadn't seen Numbuh 3 sneak up behind him and grab his wrist, which had caused him to drop his S.P.I.C.E.R. He only had enough time to think about how painfully strong her grip was before he was hurled screaming into large pile of boxes on the other side of the room.

Numbuh 3 turned to Numbuhs 2 and 4, her face still contorted into that unnerving smile. She blinked apologetically.

Numbuh 4 raised his S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R hesitantly. "I'm really sorry about this, Numbuh 3, but it's for your own good!" He charged at the doll-ified girl, ready to knock her out, but Numbuh 3 easily took him down with a drop kick.

He saw his weapon slide across the floor just as he felt himself be pulled by the hood of his sweatshirt, something that usually happened whenever he made Numbuh 3 angry. But upon closer inspection of her face, Numbuh 4 decided that Doll Kuki was much, _much_ more terrifying than Angry Kuki.

Up close, Wally could see the corners of her mouth twitching desperately in a need to be free of the painful smile her lips were frozen in. Her eyes couldn't blink normally; they would shut longer and slower than they should have. Every time she blinked, large tears would stream down her face.

Before she could discard him like she did Numbuhs 1 and 5, Numbuh 2 blasted Numbuh 3 with his F.R.A.P.P.E, making her drop Numbuh 4, and sent her flying towards a slightly dazed Numbuh 1, who was just barely able to dodge her.

Numbuh 2 pulled his buddy off the ground. "You okay?"

Numbuh 4 wasn't really sure. "I…I think so. Thanks."

Mushi, who until then had been delighted at how easy it was to beat Sector V, growled in frustration.

After a few seconds of Mushi frantically pushing buttons and flipping switches, Numbuh 3 sprang from the piles of dolls and boxes and landed right behind Numbuh 2. She immediately knocked the weapon out his hand and lifted the much heavier boy right over her head.

"DOLLS AREN'T SUPPOSED TO MOVE LIKE THIS!" he cried before being sent face first into a dusty pile of boxes and dolls.

Mushi laughed with glee, feeling a personal satisfaction with Numbuh 2's defeat. _Three down, one to go!_

Numbuh 3 turned to Numbuh 4, who was searching the floor frantically for any nearby weapon to defend himself with.

He tried reaching for Numbuh 2's F.R.A.P.P.E, which was only a few inches away, but he was once again lifted by the hood of his sweatshirt.

Again, Numbuh 4's eyes met Numbuh 3's. It was a wonder how she could see with all of the tears welling in her eyes. She didn't just look guilty; she looked like she was in pain.

He felt tears well up in his own eyes. "Kuki…" he whimpered.

Numbuh 3 blinked in apology, followed by more tears streaming down her face. She then threw him across the room, where he landed by Numbuh 5.

With Sector V seemingly defeated, Mushi started jumping and clapping and laughing with joy. "Yay! You did it, Kuki!" she cheered as she rushed to her sister.

She met Numbuh 3 in the center of the factory, throwing her arms around her and enveloping her in a big bear hug. "You're the bestest big sister ever!"

Mushi looked up at Numbuh 3, almost expecting her sister to cheer along with her. But upon seeing her unnatural smile, she remembered that her sister couldn't cheer and celebrate on her own.

As she looked up at that smile, Mushi's laughter turned sad and desperate again. Despite the twisted smile she had on her own face, it sounded as if the little girl was crying.

Meanwhile, the members of Sector V started coming to.

Numbuh 5 took a few deep breaths, her lungs and throat finally clear of all the dust. She noticed Numbuh 4 reeling in pain about a few feet away.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Not really." he groaned.

Numbuh 5 sighed. "She's too strong. If we try to fight her, she'll just kick our butts again."

"I don't think we're the ones getting the worst of it."

"What are you -?"

She didn't finish. She didn't need to. Looking at her doll-ified friend, she could see it. That look in her eyes.

She didn't know why she didn't see it earlier. Kuki wasn't just crying from the shame and guilt of fighting her friends; she was crying in pain.

Then it clicked: there was no way a semi-artificial form made from a machine built by a kindergartener could be maintained for long, even if that kindergartener was insanely clever. The artificial, doll-ified parts of Numbuh 3's body were conflicting with her remaining organic parts, essentially pitting her body against itself.

Numbuh 5 knew that if they didn't get Numbuh 3 the help she needed soon her body would surely be destroyed. She _needed_ to get Mushi to let her go.

Numbuh 5 got up and slowly made her way to the two girls.

Mushi saw her approach and instantly scowled. "Get away from us!" she yelled, clinging closer to Numbuh 3. "We've beaten you! We've won! Now just leave us alone!"

Numbuh 5 raised her hands. "I'm not going to take Kuki away. I just wanna talk."

Mushi looked at her suspiciously. "About..?"

"Listen to me: Kuki's doll form is not stable. Her body is trying to fight her doll-ified parts, and it won't be long before it starts losing! You need to let us take her to Moonbase _._ If we don't reverse the effects soon, she's…" her voice trailed off. She couldn't bring herself to actually say it.

Mushi took a moment to process this information, and Numbuh 5 hoped that she had finally gotten through to her. But suddenly Mushi glared at her.

 _"_ _No! You're lying!"_ she screamed. She kept looking from Numbuh 3 to Numbuh 5. "You… you're just trying to take her away from me again so I won't have a sister! Kuki's fine! My machine worked perfectly! She's gonna love being a doll! She _wants_ to be here, so we can be a happy family again! Right, sis?"

Mushi looked her sister's twisted smile. She refused to look at her in the eyes. Once again, Mushi almost expected a response, but Numbuh 3 stayed silent.

The little girl's denial was shattering. The more she spoke it seemed like she was trying to convince herself rather than Numbuh 5. Tears started to well up in her eyes, but she refused to let herself cry.

Numbuh 5 put her hand on hand on Mushi's shoulder. "I know you want to get along with your sister again. But she hasn't really forgiven you. You just turned her into your _toy_! _Look at her!_ "

Mushi reluctantly looked at her sister in the eye. The sadness and pain in Kuki's eyes that Mushi had pretended wasn't there was finally in plain sight. The artificial smile that Mushi had pretended was cute and genuine was seen for how it truly was: horrifyingly fake. If Kuki could see the way she looked as a doll, she would have been terrified. Mushi looked away. She couldn't hold back tears anymore.

As she was wiping the tears off her face, Mushi thought she could her the faintest whimper being emitted from Kuki's frozen lips. She forced herself to look at her dolli-fied sister's face again. She heard another whimper. This one was louder, as if Kuki was trying to get her attention.

Mushi went to key lodged in Kuki's back. As she turned it, Mushi suddenly felt like she was going to be sick.

She then stood in front of Kuki, forcing herself on more time to look at her sister's face. The winding sound began, and Kuki opened her mouth.

 _"_ _Mushi… it… hurts…_ **it hurts!** "

Mushi covered her mouth with her hands. She choked out a sob.

 **"** **You're… hurting… me!"**

Mushi fell to her knees and started sobbing uncontrollably. She thought about the hours she spent with her doll-ified sister before Sector V showed up; how she made her practice walking and running, how she squeezed her body into a bunch of ill-fitting dresses, how she winded that key over and over until Kuki said the words she wanted to hear perfectly. She was hurting her the entire time. That wasn't what she wanted. She just wanted to feel like she had a sister again.

Numbuh 5 put her hand on the little girl's shoulder again. "Mushi…"

"I… I didn't mean to!" Mushi sobbed. "I didn't wanna hurt her! I just… I just…"

Numbuh 5 knelt down and looked Mushi in the eyes. "Mushi, we _need_ to take Numbuh 3 now."

Mushi looked at the older girl for a moment and nodded.

Numbuh 5 ran over to Numbuh 3 and scooped up the dolli-fied girl in her arms.

She whispered to her friend. "It's gonna be okay, girl. We're gonna help you."

Numbuh 3 could only blink.

Numbuh 5 turned to the boys, who had regrouped and had watched the exchange in silence from a few feet away. "Let's go!" she ordered.

Mushi watched through hot tears as Sector V bolted out of the factory with her sister. Then she heard the S.C.A.M.P.E.R take off.

She sat there, crying alone in the middle of that miserable doll factory.

"Kuki… _I'm sorry_!"

 **Author's Note** : And that's Chapter 5! Wasn't that just so cheerful and totally not depressing? Yeaaah it was around the time I finished this chapter that I realized that this story is kind of an emotional roller coaster. But I'm okay with that, and I hope you're okay with that. And with that said (written? typed?), thank you so much for reading and please feel free to let me know what you think of the story, as it is always appreciated! As always, have a lovely day!


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note** : Hey everybody! A little PSA before the chapter: I don't know why I haven't been doing this from the start, but I've decided to make it a personal rule to always Private Message a response to my reviewers/commenters. I've already started responding to some recent commenters, especially regulars ( _OMG I have regulars, that's so cool!),_ but I plan to make this a regular thing from now on. Even if you don't leave a question or anything, I'd still like to thank each of you personally, and hopefully that can spark some really cool conversations! Anyway, you all know the drill; I don't own C:KND (do I even really _need_ to keep saying this?) blah blah blah. Enjoy!

A few hours later, Sector V was waiting outside of an operating room at the Kids Next Door Moonbase.

When they had brought Numbuh 3 in, they had rushed frantically to the through the Moonbase to the hospital wing, causing many surprised and confused operatives to follow in curiosity.

Sector V had busted through the medical wing, ordering the doctors to stabilize Numbuh 3 immediately. Two shocked nurses took the dolli-fied girl and rushed her to the operating room. It was then that Numbuh 362 and doctor Numbuh 275 pushed through the crowd of operatives and demanded to know what was going on.

After Sector V gave a brief description of the events that had occurred at the doll factory, Numbuh 362 had sent Numbuhs 41 and 43 to Earth to retrieve the Dolli-Fication Chamber and Numbuhs 92 and 93 to apprehend Mushi. Numbuh 275 went to call up more doctors and the scientists from the Deep Sea Lab. "We'll need all the help we can get" he said.

Only Sector V remained outside of the operating room, after Numbuh 362 had ordered all other operatives to return to their duties, before heading into the operating room herself. Since Sector V was not allowed in, the Soopreme Leader assured them that she would keep an eye on Numbuh 3 and provide the group with any updates. But no one had exited the operating room since Numbuh 362 closed the door behind her, and the members of Sector V were all on edge.

"Man, they've been in there forever." Numbuh 2 said.

"Why won't anyone tell us anything?" Numbuh 4 demanded.

"They're busy, Numbuh 4." Numbuh 5 replied. "This can't be easy for them."

"Well waitin' around here not knowin' anything ain't easy for _us_ either!" Numbuh 4 responded.

Numbuh 1 headed to the door of the operating room. "Numbuh 4's got a point. Maybe if we just check really quick-"

However, the door swung open before Numbuh 1 could even touch the doorknob, and the poor leader was squished against the wall. Numbuh 362 exited the operating room.

"Sorry about the wait, guys. I'm sure you've all been dying for an up-" The Soopreme Leader looked around and noticed that the group was one operative short. "Where's Numbuh 1?"

"Here." Numbuh 1 winced from behind the door.

"Ooops," the Soopreme Leader said embarrassed as she closed the door behind her. "Sorry about that."

"So what's goin' on in there?" Numbuh 5 asked as she helped Numbuh 1 to his feet.

Numbuh 362 nodded. "Right, so Numbuhs 41 and 43 were successful in retrieving Mushi's dolli-fying machine. Once they brought it back here, we had the Deep Sea Lab scientists take a look at it to see if they could reverse-engineer it, to reverse the effects of the dolli-fication."

" _And...?!"_ the four operatives anxiously.

Numbuh 362 smiled. "It was a complete success!"

Numbuhs 2, 4, and 5 cheered and high-fived each other and Numbuh 1 sighed in relief.

"Can we go see her now?" Numbuh 4 asked, trying not to sound too eager.

"I'm afraid not." Numbuh 275 said as he exited the operating room. "Numbuh 3 is being moved to a private room for recovery. She needs as much rest as possible right now. Both the dolli-fying process and the reverse dolli-fying process have left her completely exhausted." He looked at the disappointed faces of his patient's teammates and felt pity for them. "However," he continued. "We'll place her in a room where you'll be able to see her from the window. If you'll all just follow me."

Sector V eagerly followed Numbuh 275 with Numbuh 362 following slowly behind them. The doctor brought them to a door that remained firmly shut. "We will allow you in here once Numbuh 3 is awake." The young doctor informed them as he gestured to the nearby window. "Until then you can see her through here."

Sector V rushed to the window. Inside of the room, two nurses were busy making the bed comfortable around their sleeping patient.

Aside from some obvious signs of fatigue, Numbuh 3 looked completely normal. Her friends smiled, relieved to see she was 100% human again.

"Well now that we know Numbuh 3 is going to be okay, there's another matter we need to discuss," Numbuh 362 stated, drawing back Sector V's attention. "What are we going to do about Mushi?"

The four operatives couldn't give an answer right away. They hadn't thought about Mushi since they arrived on Moonbase.

Numbuhs 1, 2, 4, and 5 were deep in thought, trying to come up with a fitting punishment. Finally, after a few minutes of tense silence, Numbuh 1 spoke. "I think it's best if we lock her up in the Arctic Prison. Just like any other criminal to the Kids Next Door."

Numbuh 2 cut in. "Well, I think we should hand her over to her parents. Tell 'em she's been sneaking out and should be grounded even _longer._ If she thought it was so bad sitting at home while Numbuh 3 ignored her, let her keep suffering."

Numbuh 362 nodded, considering the two suggestions. "Anyone else?"

Numbuh 4 scowled. "Well I say we throw _her_ into that dolli-fying thing for a little while and see how _she_ likes it!"

Numbuh 5 was quick to remove her hat and slap him with it. "That is sick and wrong, and you know it!" she scolded.

Numbuh 4 looked over his shoulder, where he could see Numbuh 3 through the window. "Yeah, I know…" he said quietly, looking ashamed.

Numbuh 5 put her hat back on and sighed. She knew he was just talking out of frustration. All of them of course were worried about Numbuh 3, but Numbuh 5 knew that Numbuh 4 must have been _agonizing_ over her. She put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry." she whispered.

"Me too."

"Numbuh 5?" Numbuh 362 asked gently. "Any suggestions?"

Numbuh 5 didn't answer; she leaned against the window with her arms folded, replaying the day's events. She thought of the look on Mushi's face when she had realized the torment she had unintentionally inflicted upon her sister.

 _"_ _I… I didn't mean to!"_ she had said. And Numbuh 5 believed her.

She then thought about her own sister, and how much she would love to reconcile with her. She thought about how much it hurt to no longer be best friends with Cree, to see Cree go off with her own friends, to see Cree wanting nothing to do with her.

 _They just don't get it,_ she thought. _Mushi is nuts, no doubt about that. But if somebody could just help her, maybe…_

Numbuh 5 turned to the window and looked at Numbuh 3, who was still sound asleep. She thought about the sadness Numbuh 3 would mask whenever she talked about her little sister, about how she would have loved to have made up with Mushi if only there had been better communication between them. But after the day's events, Numbuh 5 started to doubt that the relationship between the Sanban sisters could ever be saved. It would sure suck to see Numbuh 3 and Mushi have the kind of relationship that she and Cree had.

But she knew that wasn't her decision to make.

"This ain't our call." she finally answered. "Numbuh 5 thinks we should let _Numbuh 3_ decide what to do."

Numbuh 362 nodded, secretly a little embarrassed to not have thought of that herself. "I think that's fair."

The boys nodded in agreement.

They then all turned to watch their friend sleep in her hospital bed for a little while longer, waiting anxiously for the doctors to allow them in.

 **Author's Note** : Okay, so this was kind of a shorter filler chapter, but come on; this is a story focusing on the relationship between sisters, _OF COURSE_ I was going to throw some Abby and Cree references in here! And of course I wanted to throw in a little more 3/4 shiptease goodness because they are my OTP for this show and always will be! I've got maybe 1 or 2+ chapters left in mind for this story, so be on the look out! And with this coming closer to an end, I've got some other fun little KND stories in mind (don't worry, they're a lot more light-hearted than this roller coaster of emotions), so be on the look out for those! And I'm also open for story suggestions (you can Private Message me about those)! Fair warning: final exams/assignments are coming up for me, so I maybe a little more lax in the next few weeks, but I will try to get them up as soon as I can. And with that, thank you so much for reading! Reviews/comments are always appreciated so feel free to leave one! As always, have a lovely day!


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note** : Hey everybody! I decided I needed a little break from final essays and stuff, so here's Chapter 7! By now you should know this show is not mine, but the FanFic is. And if you don't know, I must ask you to go sit in the corner for a timeout. Enjoy!

A couple hours later, Numbuhs 1, 2, 4, and 5 sat with Numbuh 362 in the Moonbase cafeteria. The Soopreme Leader had decided that Sector V needed a break from worrying about Numbuh 3, and offered to treat them to some well-deserved pizza. Though the members of Sector V had been starving, they were hesitant to leave in case Numbuh 3 woke up. But then Numbuh 362 made a direct order for Sector V to join her, which left them with no choice in the matter.

They had been enjoying an actual pleasant conversation about one of Sector V's more amusing missions when Numbuh 428, one of the nurses in charge of monitoring Numbuh 3, burst through the cafeteria's double doors. Her eyes frantically darted from table to table until she finally found the operatives she was looking for. She rushed to Sector V's table, startling them as she nearly collapsed on the table from exhaustion – it wasn't an easy run from the hospital wing all the way to the cafeteria.

Once Numbuh 428 caught her breath, she looked at Sector V excitedly. "She's awake! She's asking for you! Now w-"

Sector V didn't need to hear anymore. They darted out of the cafeteria at lightning speed, with Numbuh 362 following closely behind them. Poor Numbuh 428 tried to keep up, without much success.

"W-wait!" she panted. But Sector V was long gone.

In her private hospital room, Numbuh 3 sat propped up in her bed, happily listening to her other nurse, a new graduate called Numbuh 743, excitedly talk about his first few weeks working in the medical field. She much preferred to listen to the younger boy go on and on about how he was already trusted to help out in some of the more intense cases and how he would surely be promoted in no time, rather than talk about the events of her day.

"And last week we were called to the Artic Base when Numbuh 60 licked the wall 'cause he lost a bet! His tongue was stuck to the ice and _I_ was the one that got him unstuck! Boy, was he mad when we got there! He was yelling at the cadets to stop laughing at him, but they couldn't understand him so they just laughed harder! And then the next day-"

Suddenly the little boy was interrupted as Sector V rushed into the room and headed straight for his patient.

"NUMBUH 3!"

Numbuh 3's eyes lit up when she saw her teammates, but before she could say or do anything, she was suddenly enveloped in a massive bear hug by her four best friends, who were all eagerly rambling about how glad they were to see her normal again.

"Are we ever happy to see you!"

"You scared us half to death!"

"They made us wait forever before they told us anything!"

"These guys started to cry a little!"

"We did not!"

" _Ow ow ow ow ow ow ooooooooooooooow!"_ Numbuh 3 howled, startling her teammates.

At that moment, Numbuh 428 stumbled into the room, worn out and panting. "I was _trying_ to tell you! She's going to be awfully sore for the next couple of days, so if you would be so kind as to _let her go!_ "

Sector V immediately released the poor girl that was trapped in their arms and offered sheepish apologies. But Numbuh 3 just kept smiling at them.

"How're you doin', girl?" Numbuh 5 asked.

Numbuh 3 shrugged. "I've been worse…?"

Numbuh 1 smirked. "Oh yeah? _When?_ "

Numbuh 3 tried thinking of another time when she was in so much pain, but nothing came to mind. "Okay, fine, I feel like I've been hit by a truck!"

Numbuh 4 chuckled. "Please! I've been hit by a truck before, it's not _that_ bad!"

Numbuh 3 laughed, even though it caused her body to ache. "Fine, it's like _ten trucks_! And two mini-vans! And a scooter!"

Sector V laughed, and Numbuh 2 had it in his mind that he could make them laugh even harder. "Well, you certainly look a lot better than you did before! I mean, we always knew you were a _doll-face,_ but _that_ was ridiculous!"

Numbuh 2 laughed at his own joke while everyone else in the operation room groaned and made complaints under their breath. Numbuh 5 slapped Numbuh 2 upside the head.

" _Owww_! What was that for?!"

"Can't you see the poor girl is sore and exhausted?! She doesn't need you goin' and makin' her _sick!"_

While Numbuh 2 pouted, everyone else in the operating room started cracking up again. Numbuh 3 was so happy to have her friends around her that she laughed so hard until her body aches became too much to bear.

She winced from the pain, and everyone looked at her with concern.

"You okay?" Numbuh 4 asked.

Numbuh 3 gave him a weak smile. "Yeah. I'm just really glad you're all here now. Back at the factory… I didn't think you guys would find me. How'd you do it?"

Numbuh 1 looked at Numbuh 2 suspiciously. "Yeah Numbuh 2… how _did_ we find her?"

Numbuh 2 looked around the room and noticed everyone looking at him suspiciously. He smiled nervously. "Uh... Well, heh-heh…"

Fortunately for him, Numbuh 362 decided that it was as good a time as any to step forward. "Numbuh 3?" she asked gently. "I know it's been a long day for you, but we thought it would be best if _you_ decided what to do about… y'know."

Numbuh 3's face went pale. "Mushi?"

Numbuh 362 nodded slowly, feeling like maybe she picked the wrong time to bring the topic up.

Numbuh 3 looked down. She didn't want to think about Mushi. She had tried her best not to think about Mushi since she woke up.

Numbuh 362 noticed the girl's discomfort. "Why don't we give you some time to think about it? Come on everyone, let's give her some privacy."

Numbuhs 428 and 743 immediately did as they were told. Sector V were hesitant, but they knew that Numbuh 3 had a big decision to make. They made their way to the door.

"Wait! Numbuh 5?"

Numbuh 5 turned back to her bedridden friend. "Yeah, girl?"

"Could you stay? Please?"

Numbuh 5 sighed. She knew where this was headed, and she didn't know if she could be much help. But looking at Numbuh 3's pleading eyes, she knew there was no way she could refuse.

"Sure." she said. She closed the door behind her, giving the rest of her teammates a reassuring nod before locking them out. "What's up?"

Numbuh 3 covered her face with her hands and started to cry. "What am I going to do?!"

Numbuh 5 sat at the foot of the bed, looking at Numbuh 3 with sympathy. She wished she could have done something to comfort her, like give her a hug or even just put her arm around her shoulder, but she was afraid to hurt her again.

"I don't know." Numbuh 5 answered, even though she knew that was not what Numbuh 3 wanted to hear.

Numbuh 3 looked up from her hands, tears streaming down her face. It reminded Numbuh 5 of how she looked back at the doll factory, how hard she cried. _But at least she can cry now without that messed up smile_ , Numbuh 5 thought.

Numbuh 3 sniffed. "What if Cree did this to you? Would you forgive her?"

Numbuh 5 sighed, looking down at the floor. She really didn't like talking about how antagonistic her relationship with Cree had turned, especially with her friends. "Girl, this is totally different than what's happening between me and Cree."

Again, that was not what Numbuh 3 wanted to hear. She knew Numbuh 5 wanted to reconcile with Cree just as much as she had wanted to reconcile with Mushi. She knew that Cree had done some pretty awful things to Numbuh 5 and the rest of the team, but she also knew that Numbuh 5 would readily forgive Cree if she would apologize. But Cree had never captured Numbuh 5 and turn her into a doll before.

 _"_ _Would you?"_ she asked again.

Numbuh 5 was quiet for a minute. Not because she didn't know how to answer; she knew. But she was afraid her answer would influence Numbuh 3's decision. Sure, she thought Mushi was really sorry, but she didn't know her as well as Numbuh 3 did. This was Numbuh 3's relationship, and she had to be the one who decided whether or not that relationship was worth saving. Still, her friend deserved an honest answer. "Yeah. I would."

Numbuh 3 nodded. She stared at nothing in particular, giving her decision some serious thought. Numbuh 5 felt weird seeing her friend like this; Numbuh 3 was hardly ever so serious. Feeling awkward, she got up from the bed and headed to the door.

"I'll just… let you think things over then. Come get us if you need anything."

Numbuh 3 didn't even seem to hear her.

Twenty minutes later, Numbuh 3 exited her room. Numbuhs 428 and 743 hurried to their patient's side; she shouldn't have been walking around yet. Her friends looked at her worriedly. Her face gave no indication of what she could be feeling.

"Woah, Numbuh 3, are you sure you should be up?" Numbuh 2 asked.

Numbuh 3 nodded slowly. "Where is she?" she asked Numbuh 362.

The Soopreme Leader looked at the girl incredulously. "Right _now_?"

Numbuh 3 nodded again.

"Oh… well, she was considered too unpredictable to bring to Moonbase. So she was sent to the Arctic Prison until further notice... _Your_ notice."

"Let's go."

 _"_ _Now?"_ her friends asked.

"Oh no you don't, missy!" Numbuh 428 scolded. "You're still far too weak to travel, _especially_ to the Arctic! Now let's get you back in-"

Numbuh 3 cut her off with a glare. She didn't have enough energy to flash Numbuh 428 one of her scary, furious glares, but the expression was cold and steely enough to intimidate the high-ranking and rather stubborn nurse into silence.

With Numbuh 428 too intimidated to protest and Numbuh 743 savvy enough not to question her, Numbuh 3 shifted her gaze to the rest of the group.

"Take me to her. Take me to my sister."

 **Author's Note** : Another chapter over! Only one more to go! I hope to get the final chapter up soon, but final essays take priority. Only a couple more weeks, I CAN DO THIS! Anyway, thanks so much for reading! Comment/Reviews are always appreciated, so feel free to leave one! Have a lovely day!


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note** : Hey everybody, I'm baaaaaack! Well, temporarily anyway. I'm still not free from finals yet, but I decided to take a break from writing by... writing. So here it is, the last chapter to OPERATION: D.O.L.L.S! Hope you all enjoy! *insert copyright hooplah here*

The flight from the moon to the Arctic Base felt excruciatingly long.

Numbuh 3 just looked out the window of the S.C.A.M.P.E.R, remaining uncharacteristically quiet. Numbuhs 2 and 4 tried breaking the tension by bringing up the previous conversation Sector V had with Numbuh 362 in the Moonbase cafeteria, hoping to get Numbuh 3 to smile… or get _any_ reaction from her.

But Numbuh 3 didn't even seem to be listening; she just continued staring out the window, and Numbuhs 2 and 4 eventually decided to give up. It came as a relief for the group to finally land at the Kids Next Door Arctic Base. Numbuh 362 led the group out of the S.C.A.M.P.E.R and down to the K.N.D prison block.

As they neared the prison block's entrance, they came across the head guard, Numbuh 53, sitting around and reading a comic book. When he noticed the Soopreme Leader and Sector V making their way toward him, he hastily stood up and tossed his comic over his shoulder.

"N-Numbuh 362, sir!" the young guard stammered as he saluted. "Uh, we weren't expecting you here so soon."

" _I_ wasn't expecting to come here so soon." Numbuh 362 replied softly. "But, uh…" Her voice trailed off as she gestured to Numbuh 3 behind her.

"Oh." Numbuh 53 said awkwardly. Word had spread quickly through the base about Numbuh 3's condition when Numbuhs 92 and 93 brought Mushi in. While he didn't expect to see Numbuh 3 still doll-ified, he was still rather surprised by her appearance. She looked so tired and uncomfortable. He didn't know Numbuh 3 very well, but he did know that she never looked like this. _That doll machine thing must've been even worse than we thought._

"Which cell is Mushi Sanban being held in?" Numbuh 362 inquired.

Numbuh 53 shifted his attention back to the Soopreme Leader. "Well, uh, she was put in solitary confinement."

Numbuh 3 looked at him questioningly upon hearing the words " _solitary confinement"._

"It's not like she was being violent or anything," Numbuh 53 explained. "On the contrary actually, she's been nothing but cooperative since she was brought in. We just figured it'd be for the best, ya know… Don't wanna get the prisoners started."

It was common for the adults that were locked away in the Arctic Prison to heckle and taunt new inmates. Normally the guards wouldn't care, but upon seeing Mushi, who looked so miserable and defeated, they couldn't help but pity the little girl and decided that she didn't need to be picked on by a bunch of stupid adults.

"Can you take me to her?" Numbuh 3 asked.

Numbuh 53 looked at Numbuh 362, who nodded approvingly. "Of course." he said as he pressed the button on the wall behind him, allowing the automated doors of the prison block to slide open. Usually he would not allow operatives to speak with prisoners in their cells, but he figured that this time he could make an exception.

He led the group down the central corridor, passing the cells that contained some of the Kids Next Doors most infamous foes. The adults grew surprisingly quiet and stared at the group as they walked by. Numbuhs 1, 2, 4, and 5 eyed them suspiciously until they noticed that it was Numbuh 3 who had their attention. It appeared as though word about the incident at the doll factory had spread among inmates as well. All of the adults looked at the girl curiously, as if they expected her to still be part doll.

Numbuh 3 could feel all of the inmates' eyes on her but payed them no mind; she kept her eyes focused on the end of the long corridor. But as they neared the entrance to the solitary confinement block, Mr. Boss noticed her and decided that the opportunity to mess with the child's head was too good to pass up.

"Well well, if it isn't Chatty Kathy herself!" the overweight CEO jeered.

"Shut up, inmate!" Numbuh 53 barked. Mr. Boss just smirked.

"I was so hoping that the effects of that doll machine would be permanent. If you would've stayed a doll, I was going to offer your sister a generous price; you would have made the perfect birthday gift for my daughter!"

Mr. Boss chuckled sinisterly to himself. Numbuh 3 continued to stare forward even though her hands were balled into fists underneath her oversized sweater. She just wanted to get this over with.

Numbuh 4, on the other hand, wasn't about the let the adult get away with that. He glared daggers at Mr. Boss, his body shaking with anger. The grown man just laughed at him.

"What're you looking at, shorty? Ya can't get me from out there!"

Numbuh 4 looked at the head guard. He didn't need to ask; Numbuh 53 already knew what the boy wanted. He shrugged. "Eh, why not?"

Numbuh 53 took his keys and unlocked the iron bar door to Mr. Boss's cell. "What're doing?!" the man asked as the guard held open the cell door for the Australian kid.

"He's all yours."

Numbuh 4 smirked as he cracked his knuckles and stepped into Mr. Boss's cell. "No, no, no, no, no!" the man pleaded just before the kid's fist collided into his nose.

As Numbuh 4 continued to beat up Mr. Boss, Numbuh 53 continued to lead to the rest of the group to the end of the corridor. He opened the automated doors and led them through another corridor similar to the last one, except the cells were sealed by doors of solid ice rather than iron bars.

"This is the one." Numbuh 53 stated as he stopped in front of one of the frozen doors. "She's right through there."

Numbuh 3 stared nervously at the door. "Are you sure about this?" Numbuh 1 asked, concerned.

Numbuh 3 closed her eyes, took a deep breath and nodded. "Open it." she told the guard.

Numbuh 53 nodded and did as he was told. He held it open for her expectantly, but Numbuh 3 hesitated.

"We'll be right out here for you." Numbuh 5 whispered reassuringly.

"Call us if you need anything." Numbuh 2 added.

Numbuh 3 gave her friends a little smile before walking into the cell. As she heard Numbuh 53 close the door behind her, her eyes fell to Mushi sitting in the corner with her face covered by her hands, crying softly. Whether Mushi didn't hear her come in or was simply ignoring her, Numbuh 3 wasn't sure. She stood there silently.

Mushi did in fact hear her enter the cell, but assumed it was a guard. She didn't feel like answering anymore questions, so she refused to look up until she was given direct orders.

After a few more minutes went by with nothing but silence, Mushi slowly looked to see if she actually heard someone enter the cell. Upon seeing her visitor, she gasped.

Mushi hadn't expected hear from her sister so soon, and she certainly didn't expect her to come directly to her cell. She had gone over everything she wanted to say to Kuki in her head several times, but now that the girl was right in front of her, Mushi was a loss for words.

She didn't like how her sister looked at her, giving her no indication to what she was feeling or thinking. It was so unlike her, and it didn't help Mushi's struggle to find something to say.

Mushi finally opened her mouth, ready to cry and throw herself at Numbuh 3's feet in apology, when Numbuh 3 finally broke the silence.

"Are you cold?"

Mushi was taken aback by the question. **_That's_** _all she has to say?_ she thought. She spent her time thinking about how she was going to apologize to her sister, Mushi never even payed attention to the cold.

"Um… no, I'm alright." She answered timidly. "Uh, how are you feeling?"

Numbuh 3 looked at the floor. Another few minutes silence went by before she decided to speak again.

"I'm sorry."

Mushi looked at her sister, baffled. _"What? You're_ sorry!? What are you talking about!? If anyone is sorry, it's-"

Numbuh 3 knelt down in front of her sister, tears welling in her eyes. "This whole mess started because I hogged our Posh Party Rainbow Monkey! And then if I had just talked to you about how I felt instead of ignoring you…" Tears started spilling from her eyes. "…I've been a terrible big sister!"

Mushi started to cry as well. "But you were right to be angry at me! I told myself that I didn't _need_ to apologize, that you should've just felt sorry for me and play with me again! I blamed you and your friends when all along it's been _my_ fault! And then I hurt you…"

Mushi started sobbing uncontrollably. She tried to say more, but her sentences just turned to incoherent blubbering. Numbuh 3 held Mushi's hand in her own until Mushi calmed down enough to speak.

"I'm so sorry, Kuki." she whimpered. "I know I don't deserve it, but all I want is to have my big sister back."

"Mushi," Numbuh 3 said hesitantly. "It's gonna be real hard for things to get back to the way they were before."

Mushi nodded understandingly. "I know… But can we try?"

Numbuh 3 looked in her sister's pleading eyes for a moment, and could see the sweetness that she once had before this whole mess between them began. She didn't see the insane spoiled brat that she saw at the factory; she saw her sweet, loving, and occasionally sassy little sister.

Numbuh 3 smiled. "We can try."

Mushi leapt up, cheering and laughing joyfully before she threw her arms around Numbuh 3.

" _Owwww!"_ Numbuh 3 winced as her sister squeezed her still-aching body.

Mushi recoiled in horror. _"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"_ she repeated again and again, fearful that her sister would get angry with her again.

Numbuh 3 looked at her apologetic little sister with a smirk. " _See?_ Now was that so hard to say?"

 **Author's Note** : The End! WHOO, my first FanFic done! What did you guys think? What I wanted to do with the chapter is emphasize that neither sister is perfect. Yes, one is a little more sane than the other, but they ARE sisters. They'll work on it! I had a great time writing D.O.L.L.S, and I hope you guys had a great time reading it! As always, please share your thoughts, as reviews/comments are always appreciated! Until the next story, my friends! Have a lovely day!


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